Alexander Vaskevitch has received UK regulatory approval for his hedge fund start-up Alva Capital and is raising assets for a capital structure arbitrage strategy that aims to identify companies at risk from the next Uber or Airbnb.

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Vaskevitch, who was most recently a partner at Serone Capital Management and was a Financial News 40 under 40 Hedge Fund Rising Star in 2011, said his ambition was to create a hedge fund firm with
“Uber-intelligent” people – referring to the taxi-booking phone app that is shaking up the taxi industry – who could spot trends.

Vaskevitch’s fund is domiciled in the Cayman Islands and has so far raised $50 million.

He said he was inspired by companies such as Uber and Airbnb, which rents out accommodation online. Airbnb was only founded in 2008 but has more than a million rooms – more than Hilton, InterContinental and Marriott.

“What we have realised, which is what not a lot of people have realised, is that the speed of progress, and the speed at which industries are constantly being disrupted, is increasing all the time.”